This invention relates to work forming or work shaping in the practice of which work blanks, typically of tungsten carbide or the like, are ground to a predetermined contour. This invention has particular relationship to such work forming in which grinding is controlled by a cam which causes the grinding wheel and the work to move towards and away from each other so that the desired contour of the work is produced automatically. Typical of the teachings of the prior art relating to work forming or shaping of this type are Pat. Nos. 2,932,133 and 3,027,693 to Harry J. Armitage. These patents disclose the gang grinding controlled by a cam as disclosed above of a horizontal stack of blanks to form bits or inserts of the desired contour. The horizontal stacking of the work does not lend itself to automatic operation in which, once a stack of blanks is ground to the desired contour, it is automatically replaced by another stack of blanks. In addition, where the work is of substantial length, for example a long stack of blanks, the work tends to sag under gravity and this militates against the formation of bits of the high precision demanded by modern industry.
It is an object of this invention to overcome the above disadvantages of the prior art and to provide work-shaping apparatus and a method of work-shaping, particularly for gang grinding a stack of blanks, which work-shaping apparatus and method shall readily lend itself to the automatic handling of such work.